Wednesday, 15 October, 2025
As the interim government marks one year in office, Bangladesh’s retail food prices have surged again, hitting households across the country. Families report steep increases in rice, pulses, eggs, chicken, fish, and vegetables, even though supplies remain adequate.
Shoppers and traders in Dhaka’s Sutrapur, Ray Saheb Bazar, and Nayabazar said prices fluctuate daily, with little consistency from stall to stall, forcing low- and middle-income families to cut consumption to the bare minimum.
At markets visited by this correspondent:
Coarse rice sold at Tk 60 per kilo, finer varieties up to Tk 90
Red lentils (moshur dal) at Tk 160 per kilo
Eggs roughly Tk 50 for four (hali)
Broiler chicken Tk 170–180 per kilo, “sonali” chicken Tk 300–320
Beef Tk 750–800 per kilo, mutton up to Tk 1,250
Farmed rui and katla Tk 350–450, tilapia Tk 220–260, pangasius Tk 200–250, farmed shrimp Tk 750–800, river shrimp Tk 1,000–1,200
Vegetables remain high: yardlong beans Tk 100/kg, cucumber Tk 100, tomato Tk 140, carrot Tk 130, hyacinth bean (shim) above Tk 200, while green chillies eased slightly to Tk 180–200. Early winter vegetables have arrived but remain costly.
Shoppers complained about the widening gap between wholesale and retail prices, accusing an “invisible syndicate” of manipulating supply to inflate margins. Many now buy only what is cheapest daily or queue for state-backed TCB sales. Low-income workers reported cutting protein and relying on eggs, while rickshaw pullers and day labourers said meat or fish has become a luxury.
Retailers attributed price volatility to erratic wholesale rates, transport disruptions, and bad weather, but analysts highlighted deeper structural issues: limited cold-chain capacity, middlemen capturing high mark-ups, and imported essentials affected by exchange-rate shifts.
Authorities said enforcement continues. The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection carries out daily inspections, with legal action against unfair pricing. The Commerce Ministry monitors price and supply conditions. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said sugar and rice have eased, onions dropped after fresh imports, and proposals to raise cooking-oil prices have not been approved. Recent reports showed lentil prices softening and eggs at Tk 42–45 per dozen.
Economist Dr Mahfuz Kabir of BIISS warned that daily price hikes strain the wider economy. He cited supply-chain frictions, transport costs, exchange-rate shocks, and entrenched market syndicates as core pressures, arguing that ad-hoc raids cannot substitute for modern, transparent market management from farm to table.
The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) urged stronger oversight, noting that most vegetables—except potatoes and papaya—sell above Tk 100 per kilo, squeezing consumers daily. CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan warned that without sustained action against collusion, prices will continue climbing.
Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin emphasized that the government has not approved any increase in edible oil prices and rejected the refiners’ association’s recent statement as lacking legal standing. He said any adjustment must follow the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission’s formula, currently under review by professional accounting institutes.
He urged media outlets to avoid unnecessary alarm, stressing that the government will take “practical” decisions after completing reviews and that market monitoring would be intensified to prevent supply disruptions. He also confirmed that retail price changes by refiners are invalid without official approval, and proposals will be assessed against global benchmarks and domestic supply conditions.
For now, middle-class households are cutting non-food spending to afford groceries, while lower-income families are skipping protein altogether, highlighting the ongoing impact of soaring essential prices despite government interventions.
Comments
As the interim government marks one year in office, Bangladesh’s retail food prices have surged again, hitting households across the country. Families report steep increases in rice, pulses, eggs, chicken, fish, and vegetables, even though supplies remain adequate.
Shoppers and traders in Dhaka’s Sutrapur, Ray Saheb Bazar, and Nayabazar said prices fluctuate daily, with little consistency from stall to stall, forcing low- and middle-income families to cut consumption to the bare minimum.
At markets visited by this correspondent:
Coarse rice sold at Tk 60 per kilo, finer varieties up to Tk 90
Red lentils (moshur dal) at Tk 160 per kilo
Eggs roughly Tk 50 for four (hali)
Broiler chicken Tk 170–180 per kilo, “sonali” chicken Tk 300–320
Beef Tk 750–800 per kilo, mutton up to Tk 1,250
Farmed rui and katla Tk 350–450, tilapia Tk 220–260, pangasius Tk 200–250, farmed shrimp Tk 750–800, river shrimp Tk 1,000–1,200
Vegetables remain high: yardlong beans Tk 100/kg, cucumber Tk 100, tomato Tk 140, carrot Tk 130, hyacinth bean (shim) above Tk 200, while green chillies eased slightly to Tk 180–200. Early winter vegetables have arrived but remain costly.
Shoppers complained about the widening gap between wholesale and retail prices, accusing an “invisible syndicate” of manipulating supply to inflate margins. Many now buy only what is cheapest daily or queue for state-backed TCB sales. Low-income workers reported cutting protein and relying on eggs, while rickshaw pullers and day labourers said meat or fish has become a luxury.
Retailers attributed price volatility to erratic wholesale rates, transport disruptions, and bad weather, but analysts highlighted deeper structural issues: limited cold-chain capacity, middlemen capturing high mark-ups, and imported essentials affected by exchange-rate shifts.
Authorities said enforcement continues. The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection carries out daily inspections, with legal action against unfair pricing. The Commerce Ministry monitors price and supply conditions. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said sugar and rice have eased, onions dropped after fresh imports, and proposals to raise cooking-oil prices have not been approved. Recent reports showed lentil prices softening and eggs at Tk 42–45 per dozen.
Economist Dr Mahfuz Kabir of BIISS warned that daily price hikes strain the wider economy. He cited supply-chain frictions, transport costs, exchange-rate shocks, and entrenched market syndicates as core pressures, arguing that ad-hoc raids cannot substitute for modern, transparent market management from farm to table.
The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) urged stronger oversight, noting that most vegetables—except potatoes and papaya—sell above Tk 100 per kilo, squeezing consumers daily. CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan warned that without sustained action against collusion, prices will continue climbing.
Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin emphasized that the government has not approved any increase in edible oil prices and rejected the refiners’ association’s recent statement as lacking legal standing. He said any adjustment must follow the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission’s formula, currently under review by professional accounting institutes.
He urged media outlets to avoid unnecessary alarm, stressing that the government will take “practical” decisions after completing reviews and that market monitoring would be intensified to prevent supply disruptions. He also confirmed that retail price changes by refiners are invalid without official approval, and proposals will be assessed against global benchmarks and domestic supply conditions.
For now, middle-class households are cutting non-food spending to afford groceries, while lower-income families are skipping protein altogether, highlighting the ongoing impact of soaring essential prices despite government interventions.
Comments
